All Tied Up (Business of Love Book 2) Read online

  She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled up at me. “How did I get so lucky?”

  “I ask myself the same thing every day.”

  She giggled softly and ran her hands over my shoulders. “Are you trying to sweet talk me so I’m not such a diva, Rick?”

  “I don’t know. Is it working?”

  “Maybe.”

  I chuckled and gave her another kiss. “How about I find some room in the schedule tomorrow for a couple’s massage on the beach? You need to let your hair down and relax. What do you say to some pampering?”

  Verity tugged gently on the buckle of my belt. “I say hell yes, baby.”

  Chapter 4

  Kimberly

  How many martinis have I had?

  I turned the triangle-shaped glass around between my fingers.

  Three? Sounds right.

  On top of the two glasses of white wine I’d had prior to Tanner’s late arrival. That was more liquor in one sitting than I’d consumed in a hot minute and I was feeling it. My cheeks felt puffy, like I’d been at the dentist, and my lips were completely numb. I was sure my eyes were glazed over, partly because of the booze and partly because my date was an absolute bore-fest.

  He’d been talking for the last twenty-five minutes straight without pause. I’d noted the time and hadn’t said a word since.

  “My buddy is really fucking funny. Like, you’d think he was pretty funny if you met him. He makes everyone laugh.” Tanner threw back a big gulp of beer and dragged the back of his hand across his mouth to wipe away the foam. I suspected the alcohol was hitting him quickly due to all his sun exposure today and his lack of hydration. “One time—oh my God, this is gold.” He started chuckling before he even began telling the story that I doubted would be funny at all. “We got real shitfaced at a club in New York and got kicked out for being too rowdy. You know how those upscale places can be. God forbid you ruffle any feathers.”

  He continued to ramble on and I heaved a sigh.

  Should I order another drink?

  It probably wasn’t the best idea. The last thing I needed was to have that one drink too many where Tanner was no longer insufferable. I’d been feeling a little lonely lately and I didn’t want to make a mistake and try to drown that loneliness by taking a nitwit like him back to my hotel room.

  I doubted he’d be good in bed anyway. Men like him never were.

  And he’d probably still be talking about his buddy, who I assumed was named Chad or some shit, while he was buried not so deep inside me.

  I shuddered at the thought. Gross.

  My clutch buzzed on the table and I fished my phone out of it. Tanner didn’t even seem to notice that I was no longer paying him any attention as I peered down at my screen. It was blurry from all the drinks I’d had. I picked up my water and downed the entire glass to try to buy myself a bit more sobriety.

  The message was from my client, Rick Garrett.

  My heart fluttered in my chest. This man was going to be the death of me.

  I’d had the hots for him ever since we first met, after he reached out to me for a consultation to see if I would be a good fit for him and his bride-to-be to plan their dream wedding in Waikiki, Honolulu. I’d tried to keep our contact long distance and avoid having sit-down, in-person meetings with him, but this trip to Hawaii was inevitable, seeing as how we needed to be on site to finalize the last details. The wedding was just shy of a month and a half away, scheduled for January thirtieth, and I was looking forward to putting Rick and his demanding diva fiancée in my rearview mirror so I could move on and fantasize about eligible men I actually had a shot with.

  Because quite frankly, God-like men like Rick had no right to exist. Plain and simple. He’d had way too many genetic and financial victories than any person had a right to. And nothing made an already attractive person sexier than money.

  Money bought everything, including access to personal trainers and health professionals that kept him in incredible shape.

  Daddy, I thought. Big time daddy.

  Tanner slammed his hand on the table and rocked back in his chair with laughter after telling the punchline of his Chad joke. People looked up from their meals and glared at us, and I resisted the urge to hide under the table.

  “Tanner,” I said. He didn’t hear me over his own laughter. “Tanner.”

  He blinked away tears of mirth. “What’s up?”

  “You’re disturbing other people in the restaurant.”

  He looked around and rolled his eyes. “Fuck ‘em. If they wanted peace and quiet, they should have stayed home.”

  “Classy.”

  I shook my head and looked down at my phone to read the message from Rick as Tanner went off about nosy strangers.

  Hey Kimberly,

  I just wanted to give you a heads-up that Verity is feeling a little overwhelmed and there might be some details we have to iron out when we meet tomorrow about the venue. Sorry to message you so late with something like this. Hope you’re having a good first night in Waikiki.

  I stifled an internal groan.

  Of course, Verity wanted to change things about the venue. The woman was absolutely insufferable. How a man with such dignity, class, and intelligence could fall for a self-absorbed materialistic witch like her, I had no idea. But it wasn’t my place to understand why my clients were getting married. That was for them to know. My job was just to give them the wedding they’d always dreamed of.

  And Verity had always dreamed of a thirty-million-dollar tropical fairy-tale wedding. Her dress alone did not factor into the thirty-million-dollar budget. It had cost just shy of ten million.

  Rick hadn’t even batted an eye. He’d just written the checks.

  I couldn’t fathom what it would be like to have that kind of money at my disposal. I was, however, very much looking forward to the commission check I was going to receive at the end of this. It would be the biggest revenue-generating wedding of my career, and on top of that, the publicity I was going to get from this would open doors for me I never dreamed I’d be able to walk through.

  My clientele was going to shift dramatically.

  As long as I pulled this off, of course.

  If Verity hated my work, she might ruin my entire career by slamming me publicly.

  I sighed and put my phone facedown on the white tablecloth. “And there’s no guarantee that won’t happen.”

  “Did you say something?”

  I glanced up at Tanner, who was looking at me with red, drunken eyes.

  I arched an eyebrow. “I haven’t said anything for the past forty-five minutes.”

  Tanner blinked. “What?”

  “You’ve been talking plenty for the both of us. I couldn’t get a word in with you. And you know what, Tanner? Your stories aren’t funny. They’re stupid. And boring. Just like you and your friends.” I stood up. The legs of my chair squeaked on the floor. “Maybe you should spare women from your company for a little while and just stick to your partying. When you settle down and grow up a little, then you should consider dating. But not until then. Tonight was miserable.”

  “Now hold on just a minute.”

  “Goodnight, Tanner.”

  I turned on my heel and marched away from the table. I caught a couple of women smirking as I passed them and I knew they were my fellow sisters who’d endured the same sort of evening with frat-boy types like Tanner.

  I didn’t feel bad about leaving him with the bill, either, which would likely be a hefty amount. Martinis weren’t cheap in this place.

  And the wine I’d ordered was thirty-two dollars a glass.

  “Sucker.” I snickered as I pushed out the front doors and emerged on the busy Waikiki street. I hooked a left and made my way toward the nightlife part of the strip. The sandy beach stretched on along my left, and hotels and businesses ran along the sidewalk across the street on my right. Street performers filled the night air with lively music and entertainment and I relished in the fresh
air and the freedom from my date.

  Jackson was definitely going to get an earful when I talked to him next. Where was he getting these assholes from? Tinder?

  He’d have to do a better job—if I gave him another chance that was.

  Maybe I’m better off on my own for a bit. Maybe all these less-than-mediocre men were a sign from the universe that I was supposed to be single right now so I could focus on this next chapter of my life and career.

  Yes, that’s it. Now is the time to focus on me. Not a man.

  Loud music poured out of a nightclub down the block. I crossed the street and gravitated to it like a moth to a flame. Alcohol was still coursing through my system and the music breathed life into my veins.

  I needed to dance.

  I didn’t need a date, but I didn’t hate the idea of finding a good-looking stranger on the dance floor to dance the alcohol out of my system with. Sometimes, there was nothing better than a good night of dancing.

  I flashed my ID at the bouncer at the door and descended a set of stairs into the underground club. It smelled like tequila and sweat and cheap body spray. The air was thick and humid and the lighting was moody. Neon stripes traced the ceiling and shifted colors in tempo to the music.

  I pushed through the crowd and made my way to the dance floor. It too lit up in rhythm to the music, and as soon as my heels hit the neon-pink squares, the ickiness of my date melted off my shoulders. I swayed my hips to match the beat and lifted my arms over my head. I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, and reveled in the freedom of the bass and the beat.

  I didn’t have to wait long for a bold man to approach and put his hands on my waist. He had dark skin, a wondrous smile, and friendly brown eyes, and he nodded his understanding when I told him I was only there to dance.

  “I’ve had a pretty shitty night,” I said to him over the music.

  He pulled me up against his body and dropped his hips before spinning me around so my back was flush to his chest. He could move. His hips matched the rhythm of mine.

  “Let’s fix that,” he said. Then he spun me away from him.

  My laugh tore out of me and he grinned in earnest.

  “Mahalo,” I said.

  Chapter 5

  Rick

  Chessie popped a piece of star-shaped fruit into her mouth. Her eyes widened in delight and she reached for another piece before sipping her morning tea, a Hawaiian blend of tropical flowers and some honey.

  We were sitting at the edge of our private plunge pool on our patio with our feet in the water while we ate a morning room-service delivery spread of fruits, pastries, and cheese. Chessie had already made her way through two small croissants drizzled in chocolate when she reached for a third.

  “Careful,” I warned. “You might give yourself a stomach ache and I’d hate for you to miss the surprise I have planned for you later today.”

  Chessie immediately pulled her hand away from the silver tray of cream puffs, croissants, mini muffins, and fritters. Instead, she reached for her tea and sipped that while she swung her legs and pushed her feet through the water. “When are you and Verity leaving?”

  “As soon as Jennifer gets here. I told her to bring her bathing suit in case you wanted to spend the afternoon in the pool before I come back and get you.”

  “How long are you going to be?”

  “Not too long, kiddo. We just have some last-minute things to work out with our wedding planner. A couple of hours, I assume.”

  Chessie stared into the pool. “It’s always longer than you say it’s going to be.”

  “I’ll do my best to stay on time today. But it’s important, especially to Verity. You know how hard she’s been working to make this day perfect. I don’t want to cut our meeting short if there are still details she wants to go over. You understand, right?”

  “I thought perfection didn’t exist?”

  “Hmm.” She got smarter every day. Without a doubt. One minute, I was sitting there thinking she’s my baby girl, and the next, I’m reminded that it’s only a matter of time before she’s walking circles around me.

  “True,” I said. “Perfection doesn’t exist. But there isn’t anything wrong with wanting something to be perfect, especially if it’s something you’ve dreamed of for your entire life.”

  Chessie stared into the pool. She wore a frown like mine. Her brow was creased and her lips pursed together in a firm, straight line.

  “Do you disagree?” I asked as I leaned back on my hands.

  Chessie gnawed at the inside of her cheek and then shook her head. “No.”

  “But?”

  I could always sense when there was something else lingering in the back of her mind that she hadn’t given voice to. Chessie was an intuitive and empathetic person. It was something I’d had to be mindful of. Being a full-time, working single father was an obstacle in our relationship but it was one we’d come out the other side from. A few years ago, I couldn’t separate work from home life and it got between us in a bad way.

  I refused to ever let that happen again. Chessie was and forever would be my priority.

  “Does it bother you that this wedding is taking up a lot of my time?” I asked in an effort to guide her into voicing her concerns.

  “No.”

  “What is it then, kiddo? You can tell me.”

  She shrugged. Yep. Something was definitely up.

  Finally, she sighed and leaned back on her hands just like I was. “Sometimes, I just think you’re not getting your perfect wedding, Daddy.”

  I felt my eyebrows creeping up toward my hairline and I tried to erase the surprise off my face. “That’s what’s bothering you?”

  She shrugged again. “Yeah.”

  “Chessie.” I pulled my feet out of the pool and turned to face her. “I’m not settling for a wedding I don’t want. There is just a difference between me and Verity. I don’t care about the flowers or the table settings or the chandeliers. I care about the woman I’m marrying and the family we’re going to be afterward. Does that make sense?”

  My daughter pulled her feet out of the pool and drew her knees up to her chest so she could rest her chin on them. “It makes sense.”

  “Good.”

  The creases in her forehead disappeared when she smiled at me. “I promise not to tell Verity that you don’t care about the flowers.”

  I chuckled. “Thanks, kiddo. She’d have my head if she ever found out.”

  “Found out what?”

  I turned from the pool to see my beautiful fiancée standing in the open patio doors. She was dressed in a flowing white dress that cut off at her shins and a pair of pointed-toe white pumps that made her already sexy calves look even more alluring.

  I pushed myself to my feet and wiped my hands on my pants. “Nothing, sweetheart.”

  Verity eyed me suspiciously and then peered past me at Chessie, who hadn’t left her spot by the pool. “Is he telling the truth, Francesca?”

  Chessie nodded. “Yep. The whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

  I gave my bride-to-be a shit-eating grin. “See? Nothing to worry about here.”

  “Good.” Verity tipped her head toward the suite. “Jennifer just arrived and is just using the bathroom. I’d like to head out, Rick.”

  I put a hand on Chessie’s shoulder. “Duty calls. I’ll see you later this afternoon. Make sure you have fun with Jennifer today. Eat lots of junk food and break a rule or two while you’re at it, will you? You’re too straitlaced, kid.”

  Chessie rolled her eyes at me. “I’m not doing anything that might jeopardize my surprise.”

  “Jeopardize, huh?”

  “It’s my word of the day.”

  Of course it is.

  I left Chessie at the pool once Jennifer came out of the bathroom. I told her to cut loose and have fun this afternoon and that Verity and I could be reached by my cell phone and we wouldn’t be gone too long. Jennifer thanked me and headed out onto the patio, where I heard her and
Chessie giggling like schoolgirls as Verity and I slipped out the front door and made our way to the elevator.

  “I’m glad she likes Jennifer so much.” I tucked my hands into my pockets and rocked back on my heels after we got on the elevator. The doors closed behind us and we began our descent to the lobby. “I can’t imagine how much more complicated it would be to make this work if she didn’t have a nanny she adored the way she adores Jen.”

  Verity swept her long mane of black hair over her shoulder. “Sometimes, I think she likes Jennifer more than she likes me.”

  “What? That’s not true.”

  Verity eyed me with a mutinous expression. “Really, Rick? Honestly, for such a successful man, sometimes you can be so clueless. It’s only natural that she would prefer Jen.”

  “And why is that?”

  Verity shrugged. The doors opened and she walked through. When she spoke, she talked over her shoulder. “It’s simple. Jen isn’t marrying her father.”

  I took a few long strides to catch up with my fiancée. “Chessie isn’t jealous, if that’s what you’re implying.”

  “I’m not implying anything. I’m stating the obvious.” Verity stopped and turned to me with a small smile lingering on her full glossy lips. “Don’t worry. It won’t last forever. Once we’re married and she sees that the three of us being together all the time is the new norm, she’ll come around to me. I promise. She and I will be the best of friends in no time, especially when we give her a little brother or sister.”

  Verity took my hand and led me across the lobby to the coffee bar. She ordered herself a skinny almond-milk hazelnut latte with no foam and an extra shot. She made them remake it when they handed it across the counter to her with a thin layer of foam on it. Then, once she was satisfied, we made our way out the front doors to the limo parked at the curb waiting for us. The driver opened the back door and we slid in and made ourselves comfortable in the air-conditioned luxurious extended cab.